Middle-of-the-road perspectives

Political Issues That Will Impact The Mid-term Elections

What’s going to happen in America politically during the next three years? It’s anyone’s guess.

No one should be surprised that President Trump won’t change his stripes. In fact he’s been emboldened by recent successes. Democrats are going to continue to bash the president at every turn. They believe that obstruction is their most effective political weapon, a bad assumption.

What follows is roundtable review of some of the more controversial issues impacting the political landscape.

The evolution of illegal urban center sanctuaries for undocumented aliens is an egregious situation that could result in a constitutional crisis. Rarely in the history of the country have local and state governments refused to comply with federal laws and presidential mandates. Think the Civil War. Some conservatives are asking why the Attorney General hasn’t issued arrest warrants for governors and mayors of states and cities that refuse to comply with federal immigration laws.

The mid-term elections will be telling and upon us soon. In this blog it has been stated that Republicans will, at worst, keep their majorities in the Senate and House. Many disagree with this perspective. But give me one reason why anyone would vote for Democrats. Have they been good for their constituencies? No. They defy the law and protect felons in their own party. They obstruct without offering alternative solutions to pressing problems. They have shown more empathy to foreign interlopers than needy Americans, who, ironically continue to be loyal Democrats.

Democrats have done absolutely nothing to benefit their most ardent supporters and have not yet paid the price of doing so. Millennials and African Americans historically vote liberal. What did Obama do to alleviate the troubles of both groups? Nothing. Millennials are still choking on the burden of high educational expenses, and African Americas are still experiencing inordinately high unemployment rates and welfare dependence. Poor people made no gains during the Obama administration. Trump pointed all this out during the 2016 campaign and asked for their support. Neither group listened.

The war between the classes has never been more destructive. As the wealthy pay more and more, poor people demand greater benefits without any strings attached. Obama and Clinton fueled the chasm between the economic groups in America. The amount of taxes being paid by the 1% is never enough. Wealthy taxpayers have singlehandedly kept our federal government afloat. What have the beneficiaries done in exchange for the trillions of dollars of entitlements? They criticize the sources of the most tax payments, say they don’t pay their fair share and ignore suggestions that they have a responsibility to try to one day become self sufficient. All able-bodied aid recipients should be required to work. Democrats lambast this perspective even as the number of taxpayers becomes smaller, and yet, more responsible for social services.

Cheating is rampant in America. One estimate said that the US lost $458 billion each year in the period of 2008-2010 because of illegal tax actions. If the US could recover this amount it would offset more than half of the country’s current annual deficit. Our leaders should be more assertive in decreasing tax cheating in our country.

All sorts of protests are overwhelming America. Don’t get me wrong. Past sexual abuse offenses must be exposed and dealt with. But at some point we need to move forward. Taking care of women prospectively is more urgent than adjudicating silly pranks that occurred thirty years ago. Let’s get the bad guys and start making changes in corporations that will enable women to work without being harassed and with equal pay compared to men.

The attacks on our police and the FBI are particularly troubling. On the one hand we criticize cops if they are too aggressive. Yet when they are ambivalent at a riot or a school shooting, we criticize them for not doing their job. It’s becoming a harrowing experience being an officer of the law. You can easily be censured or prosecuted for doing too much, too little, depriving others of their civil liberties and so on.

The police, firefighters and all other first responders are our best friends. We need them when we are in danger or after we have been harmed. If you have an accident or a heart attack they can save you. If a maniac assaults you with an automatic weapon, they will protect you. If they exceed their authority from time to time don’t start a riot, take actions to correct the situation.

Democrats have encouraged dissent as a way to embarrass Trump. Protest is healthy and productive if it is used properly and conducted without violence. The Berkeley riots where conservative speakers were not allowed to speak were a classic case of bad protest. For one thing the place where free speech was protected many times became the place where free speech was set back decades. Further the ensuing riots, injuries and destruction of property made the whole affair disgraceful. Why didn’t liberals recognize the damage done at Berkeley? The answer is that it didn’t suit their agenda.

Protest against sexual abuse and the deluge of guns in the country are generally positive events. However the expectations of protesters must be managed to achieve real gains in these areas. Sexual abuse awareness should not morph into a war between women and men. Affecting change takes time although preventing abuse is more immediate.

Regarding guns, the expectations of Americans are diverse. Trying to eliminate private ownership of weapons in the country is not something that is going to happen in the foreseeable future despite the last and next tragedy. Gun control advocates should be working towards common sense laws that will decrease violence. The items that should be emphasized are well documented and include banning automatic and semi automatic guns, eliminating any devices that enable a gun to fire more rapidly, more and longer background checks, raising the age of gun owners and attempting to keep weapons out of the hands of mentally disturbed people.

The political parties that most effectively deal with the aforementioned issues will make great gains politically. The party that encourages wanton violence efforts in an effort to prevent violence against women and fellow Americans will be the loser.